End of an era as Cadbury discontinues chocolate coins

Cadbury has ended a Christmas tradition for families across the country after admitting it has stopped making its iconic chocolate coins.

The chocolate-maker said shoppers had switched to cheaper, own-brand versions sold at supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl and Poundland, leaving its own sales in decline.

Wrapping gold foil around a piece of coin-shaped chocolate was "fiddly", a spokesman explained, while its version of the stocking-filler had proved difficult to sell without "Cadbury purple" to distinguish it.

"We are sorry to see the coins go, but that's business," the spokesman said.

The move by Cadbury, which was bought by American firm Kraft in 2010, left many fans of the coins lamenting the passing of a family tradition.